The Virginia Supreme Court Friday affirmed the capital murder convictions and death penalty for sniper mastermind John Allen Muhammad. "If society's ultimate penalty should be reserved for the most heinous offenses, accompanied by proof of vileness or future dangerousness, then surely this case qualifies," Justice Donald Lemons wrote.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruling Tuesday barring the execution of juvenile killers means Lee Boyd Malvo can no longer face the death penalty for his role in the 2002 Washington sniper case or other slayings around the country.

Teenage sniper Lee Boyd Malvo avoided the death penalty and was sentenced to life in prison without parole under a plea deal for one of 10 slayings that terrorized the Washington area in October 2002. Malvo, 19, could still face a death penalty prosecution for other slayings.

A judge dismissed an indictment Friday against convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad, ruling that the state waited too long to try him for capital murder in the death of an FBI analyst who was shot in a store parking lot.

Teenage sniper Lee Boyd Malvo plans to drop all appeals of his conviction and life sentence for one of 10 killings in October 2002, and will admit guilt in a second slaying, his lawyer said. Malvo, now 19, is ready to accept a lifetime in prison, his lawyer said.

The judge presiding over the second prosecution of convicted sniper John Allen Muhammad has removed himself from the case after prosecutors claimed he improperly conducted his own investigation into whether Muhammad had been denied a speedy trial.